The Judaizers we met in chapter 11 did not go away. As more Judeans were moved to join the Christians, particularly former Pharisees, there arose again a wave of zeal in the Law. We can't be sure this zeal did not include some Talmudic perversions of the Law, but we should not be surprised if it did. Whether this was purely the Law as Jesus taught or a fresh insinuation of Talmudic legalism makes little difference, as the underlying point was the demand all those who claim Christ must surely become Sons of the Law.
The source of this obsession with clinging to their old ways is not easily untangled. At a minimum, the whole of a Pharisee's identity would be in scrupulous observance of Moses, as they saw it. The Messiah was promised to their nation, and they could never accept the criticism they had refused to carry out the premise of the Covenant: a revelation of Jehovah to the whole world. The mental framework was so deeply ingrained, it literally took a miracle to wash it out. Many resisted that miracle, as they just had no place in their thinking for the Spirit to heal it. We can sense some carried this failure to their graves.
Yet, while they lived, they made it their business to pester everyone claiming Christ, demanding they go through the rituals of embracing Judaism. This was hardly calling libertine sinners to account, since the Lord had already blessed the Gentile churches without the Law of Moses. Thus, Paul and Barnabas, two men particularly adept at understanding the demands of Judaism, were the strongest resistors to this attempt. The debate was so heated and intractable, the church decided to send Paul and Barnabas back to Jerusalem, whence these Judaizers claimed they were commissioned.
On the way, our two missionaries reported the good news of Gentiles turning to Christ in other lands. There seemed to be little support for the Judaizers among Christians in Phoenicia and Samaria. Arriving in Jerusalem, they reported in somewhat more detail their ministry to the church there. Immediately, the Judaizers chimed in on what they saw as shortcomings in that work. The leadership assembled to discuss this. The debate would easily have continued on into eternity, but it was clear nothing would change. Peter reminded them of his unique experience, now some years past. If the Law was essential to repentance from sins, why did the Lord grant the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles while they remained outside the Law? It did not appear God was too worried about the Law. Whatever it was the Judaizers proposed was something even Israel, at her best, seldom kept. Do they suppose Gentiles would perform any better?
Peter insisted grace and faith were the focus of God's work in human hearts, even their own Jewish hearts. Paul and Barnabas then backed that up by relating the various miracles they had seen without the Law of Moses. The Judaizers had no real answer to this. By now, James, the brother of Jesus, had become the senior pastor of the church in Jerusalem. He rose to remind them Peter's experience was the initial fulfillment of their own Jewish prophecy. Quoting Amos 9:11-12, James notes the Messianic promises were given precisely to fulfill the original purpose of God choosing Israel, as those who would reveal Him to the world. Amos declares, since the nation would not do it, God would remove them, and raise up a new Messianic Nation of Israel to carry out the purpose, an Israel drawn from all humanity. In essence, James reminded them their nation had died on the Cross. While the old rituals might be comfortable for Jewish Christians, there was nothing requiring Gentiles to embrace that.
Thus, he ruled he would not support the Judaizers, but rebuked them. Their message was trouble, and the Gentiles had always been under a different covenant than Israel. For them to repent would include a fairly simple and short list of things which Jews had always required of Gentiles as the grounds for associating with them. Thus, he directed preparation of a letter to Antioch in particular, but to all Gentile Christians in general. They would observe the ancient Laws of Noah as the marks of repentance. Three items in particular would be unfamiliar to them: idolatry, sexual immorality, and meat with blood in it. This was enough for Gentiles; had they been called to be Jews, God could have done so at any time in the past through the Diaspora synagogues. Instead, God waited for the gospel message of grace without the Law to grant them repentance.
The church in Jerusalem accepted this judgment. They selected representatives to help carry the message and verify its meaning: Judas Barsabbas and Silas. The letter carefully notes the nature of the conflict, and repudiates the Judaizers. The letter specifically commends Paul and Barnabas, and names the men commissioned to go with them. Then it briefly recounts the few issues which would bring the Gentiles in line with the ancient Laws of Noah. It was well received in Antioch, as were the encouragements of Silas and Judas. They eventually returned to Jerusalem with compliments from the church in Antioch. However, Silas was moved to go back to Antioch again. The church there continued to grow.
Paul felt moved to go back and visit the churches established during their journey. He and Barnabas made plans, but there was some trouble over the idea of bring John Mark again. Paul felt the young man was not ready, but Barnabas refused to go without him. In the end, they simply divided the mission between them. Barnabas took Mark back to Cyprus, while Paul took Silas overland with him toward Galatia.
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By Ed Hurst
08 August 2009
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